Retail display company sharing their thoughts, advice, photos, and promotions.

Month: August 2014

Labor Day is Monday September 1st, and as a small business owner, I would like to thank all of our terrific employees here at Sharn Enterprises. Labor Day began in 1882 with the idea to recognize hard working Americans and create a holiday specifically for them.

As I think about this day, I am reminded that Sharn Enterprises is a “microcosm” of the American workforce. Currently we have about 25 employees from all different types of backgrounds. Some of them have grown up in the “trades” or attended a trade school, and they excel at their particular job (see employee spotlight). On the other hand, others pursued a different type of education at one of the local colleges. They use that education to design & sell our products. Each of these experiences are absolutely essential, and American manufacturers like Sharn really need both.

Maintaining a strong independent manufacturing base in America is still as important now as it was many years ago. Good, old “American quality” still is the benchmark that all of our foreign competition seeks to achieve. If we want to maintain a strong middle class society for our children and our grandchildren we need to continue to develop, educate, and support our American workers. Keep that in mind as you enjoy your day off — A day to honor the American worker!

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Labor Day is Monday, September 1st, and as a small business owner, I would like to thank all of our terrific employees here at Sharn Enterprises.

But when you step back and think about Labor Day as a whole, what do you really know about this annual holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September?

Here are the 7 things you didn’t know about Labor Day and one more you shouldknow:

1. The first Labor Day Celebration was in New York City on Tuesday, September 5th, 1882.

2. Oregon was the first state to declare Labor Day a holiday. This was done back in 1887.

3. Labor Day origins are Canadian (Canadian Labor Day began in 1873 in Toronto, then quickly spread to the USA.)

4. The holiday marks the end of “Hot Dog Season” as the unofficial “Last Day of Summer.”

5. Labor Day celebrates the contributions and achievements of the 155 million men and women who are in the American workforce.

6. 55% of all American households will barbecue this Labor Day.

7. 94.4% of the time, the NFL plays its first official season game the Thursday after Labor Day.

Bonus fact: 8. Good, old American quality is still the benchmark that all our foreign competition seeks to achieve. If we want to maintain a strong society for the generations to come, we need to continue to develop, educate, and support our dedicated American workers!

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On Sunday, August 16th, Sharn Enterprises’s retail display designers headed out west to the one, the only, Las Vegas, Nevada. Although Las Vegas is known for its gambling, in the world of retail, it is also known as the epicenter for fashion’s largest trade show, Magic Market Week.

The show has built quite a name for itself, starting humbly back in 1933 and going by the “Men’s Apparel Guild.”

After gaining major appeal, it is now held twice a year in both August and February at a convention center either on or off the strip, and is considered the most comprehensive forum for fashion buyers and brands. This can be seen through the extensive variety of up and coming men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel, accessories, footwear and more.

In Sharn’s case, our staff attends the show in order to support the businesses for which we create custom point-of-purchase displays as well as meet possible new clients through networking and walking the show floor.

Magic fuels the world of retail, and Roger Wandersee, Designer and Account Manager at Sharn Enterprises, Inc, knows that visiting the trade show is a must for current and future business ventures.

“Magic is an experience that is not only informative, but so much fun. With over 80,000 people and the opportunity to visit with so many customers, it’s truly an exhilarating adventure.”

Wandersee also gives due credit to Magic because he leaves inspired by new design ideas for retail displays after exploring the ten different curated shows within the entire Magic experience.

With more than $200 million dollars’ worth of orders written daily at the show, there is no doubt that Magic Market Week is the steam engine that plows right through the business of fashion.

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For some of us, the start of a new school year is right around the corner. It’s an exciting time and I am reminded of all the feelings I had associated before my first day of school for any given year.

The questions of, “What am I going to wear on my first day?” “What will my teachers be like?” “Will I have some friends in my classes?” in addition to countless other worries running through my head.

When it came to the actual learning aspect of schooling, though, I was excited for some things and loathed others. It seemed like some of my classmates were just natural at going to school, and did not have any troubles succeeding. In other cases, some of my classmates were not as enthralled in school as they maybe should have been. As for me, I was right in the middle limbo of hating school and loving it. This is where the educational divide comes in.

This imaginary line is drawn once high school is over, and it means that a student will need to choose whether to go off to college or delve directly into work.

Nothing is wrong with either choice, but America needs both. It seems as though the general work place has changed. There’s more computer operated machinery and equipment, a higher level of math skills required, less inventory to work with and more “just in time” requirements set by customers. With the higher expectations of employers, there comes more of a need for a higher level of education, either by a college or a trade school.

Sharn Enterprises recognizes that both experience and education are crucial in the evolving workplace of today. By hiring different types of interns at Sharn Enterprises, a student benefits by gaining real world experience and also by getting credit for it at the same time. We offer internships in the fields of marketing, accounting, computer-aided drawing (CAD), and welding. By offering a variety of internships both for trade schools and universities, we can help mold a student’s education to help them succeed in the future, whatever their career choice might be.

By partnering with local schools, your business can help to mentor a student and boost their opportunity for success. Our tax dollars pay for career services, job screening, work-related seminars etc., so why not utilize them?

What our country needs, if we are once again going to become a manufacturing giant, is a well-educated, well-rounded workforce. A lot of that education comes from a classroom, but the most important part of learning comes from actually being on the job.

A formal college is not the only place where a student can flourish and grow. Trade schools, licensing programs, and even on the job training is often the right formula for success. Whatever your business, do yourself a favor and mentor a student!

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As a person in the working world, you may find yourself in a rut. As a person trying to work on their fitness goals, you may also get into a fitness slump. When comparing professional life to overall heath and wellness, the similarities between the two are uncanny.

This is true especially when it comes to managers. Here are 7 hurdles that you might encounter in your professional (and personal) life and tips on how to jump over them:

1. Getting “Fat”

In your personal life, sometimes you need to lose some of that extra weight put on after years of poor diet. When it comes to you as a manager of a business, you may need to trim the fat by re-analyzing the “C” quality employees currently working at your establishment. If these employees are not cutting it in your work environment, it might be time for a major change-up.

2. Staying Motivated

In personal fitness, it is important to have a goal in mind. By writing down these goals, it aids in your success. Without them, you may forget why you are changing up your habits in the first place.

The same applies in a business setting. You as a manager might need to remind employees (and even yourself) to keep track of their career and professional goals. By refocusing on the strategies that have worked in the past and introducing new ones, you and your employees will remember what they are trying to achieve. Some example goals may include a bonus, promotion, saving up for a specific item, or even getting more involved with the community. Write these down and keep them displayed at your desk. This will allow you to keep the end goal in mind when you are feeling down and unenthusiastic.

In addition, both fitness and business statistics show that people who write down their goals have over an 80% higher success rate of achieving them.

3. Consistency Errors

When you are trying to get into great physical shape, staying consistent is critical. You cannot lose weight or feel more energized without a routine, which includes making time to exercise and eat right every day. The same concept goes for a business. Making sure everyone stays on task is important when keeping up with a schedule and strict deadlines. This may not mean micro-managing, but it does mean checking in and following up with your employees and clients. This could include one of President of Sharn Enterprises, Roger Wandersee’s, tactics of “management by walking around.”

4. Money Woes

Finances are tough to balance in this day and age, and sometimes even a gym membership just might not fit into your budget. In order to make sure you can attend the fitness classes you want or get that gym membership, you will have to consider your current expenses. The same goes in a business. When cash is tight and you want to spend money on a certain event, product, software, raw material or new technology, you will have to re-assess your current expenditures and see if it is a need or just a want.

5. Not Keeping Score

When you checking your heart rate or pulse while working out, you want to make sure you see results. The same goes for a business. Staying profitable is imperative, and when you keep an eye on the numbers, it helps build a business and keep a steady “pulse.” You will also sleep better knowing where you stand.

6. Being Exhausted

You work full-time, have a family to take care of, and have other countless responsibilities to accomplish in a day. Are you too run-down to go to the gym? Well, get out of that slump immediately because studies have shown that working out releases endorphins, which in turn makes you less tired throughout the day. In addition, just exercising for 30 minutes a day can boost your overall mood.

This can relate to business when you have “exhausted” all outlets of ideas. In order to get out of your creative and professional rut, find inspiration in everyday places. A brainstorming session, a team building day, going for a walk, or a hiring of new, fresh talent could also give you the boost you are looking for.

7. Being “Too Old”

In personal fitness, getting old means that working out is harder on the bones. In a business environment that uses machinery to complete tasks, machines become old and weary as well. Running old machines can lead to a disaster, so checking up on these periodically is a wise thing to do. Getting older as a human being has its qualms as well.

One advantage, though, of getting old is that our experiences can make us smarter. The moderation is key in fitness when getting old, and working smarter, not harder while in business is crucial as well.